Atiku's Team Hits Back at Babachir Lawal's Claims

Atiku Abubakar's camp has rejected the accusations made by Babachir Lawal. Lawal, a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, claimed there were issues in the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential primary. But Atiku's team says Lawal did not provide any proof for his claims.

In a statement on Tuesday, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku's Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, called Lawal’s claims “an unfortunate cocktail of bitterness, conjecture, and political revisionism masquerading as public interest.” This response came after Lawal's recent TV interview where he questioned the ADC presidential primary's credibility and alleged manipulation.

Atiku's camp accused Lawal of presenting “a curious spectacle” filled with serious claims but lacking in facts. Shaibu said, “Mr Lawal spent nearly an hour making grave accusations about the conduct of the ADC presidential primary. Yet he failed to produce a single piece of verifiable evidence. No document. No petition. No result sheet. No witness statement. No recording. Nothing.

“For a man who repeatedly insisted that proof was ‘everywhere,’ his performance was a masterclass in making extraordinary allegations without meeting the elementary obligation of substantiating them. He arrived with accusations. He left with accusations. In between, the evidence never arrived.”

Shaibu pointed out that Lawal relied on claims from unnamed sources instead of providing solid proof. He said, “Ordinarily, one would expect a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation and former National Vice Chairman of a political party to understand the elementary distinction between evidence and suspicion. Instead, Nigerians were treated to stories about unnamed callers, unnamed officials, unnamed witnesses, and unnamed conspirators.”

The statement suggested that Lawal's outburst came from disappointment over the ADC primary results. Shaibu said, “What the interview ultimately revealed was not a whistleblower exposing wrongdoing but a disappointed political actor struggling to come to terms with the failure of his preferred candidate.

“By his own admission, Mr Lawal openly aligned himself with another aspirant long before the conclusion of the process. He campaigned for that candidate, promoted that candidate, and publicly believed that candidate should emerge victorious. Having failed in that objective, he now seeks to dress personal disappointment in the borrowed robes of moral outrage.”

Atiku's camp also criticized Lawal's contradictory views on Atiku's political influence. Shaibu remarked, “Perhaps the most laughable contradiction in Mr Lawal’s performance was his attempt to portray Atiku Abubakar as both politically irrelevant and politically omnipotent at the same time.

“According to his own account, Atiku was inactive, unpopular, and absent from the field. Yet Nigerians are simultaneously expected to believe that this same supposedly dormant politician somehow orchestrated a nationwide conspiracy across 8,809 wards.”

The statement argued that these claims underestimate the judgment of party members involved in the process. Shaibu stated, “What makes this theory particularly absurd is that it requires Nigerians to believe that thousands of ADC members across the federation abandoned their own judgment and surrendered their votes to an invisible conspiracy directed by a man whom Mr Lawal simultaneously describes as politically inactive.”

Aside from the primary issue, Atiku's spokesman highlighted comments made by Lawal about his relationship with President Bola Tinubu. Shaibu said, “More revealing, however, was Mr Lawal’s astonishing confession on national television that if he ever needed money, all he had to do was call President Tinubu and the money would reach him before he got home.

“Nigerians heard him. Nigerians understood him. And Nigerians can draw their own conclusions from the implications of such a remarkable declaration.”

Shaibu accused Lawal of trying to weaken Atiku’s support among Christian communities in the Middle Belt and elsewhere where Atiku is popular. He said Lawal's comments came from bitterness rather than reason.

“The tragedy of Mr Lawal’s intervention is that he appears to have become so consumed by bitterness that he no longer recognizes the difference between evidence and speculation. Every outcome he dislikes is rigging. Every defeat is a conspiracy. Every disagreement becomes proof of manipulation. This is not the language of reason. It is the language of grievance.”

Finally, the statement dismissed Lawal’s claim that Atiku had “absolutely nothing” to offer politically. Shaibu pointed out Atiku's role in economic reforms and the growth of Nigeria's telecommunications sector during former President Olusegun Obasanjo's time.

“Nigerians know Atiku Abubakar’s record. They know his role in the liberalization of the telecommunications sector, his contributions to economic reforms, private sector development, education, and national growth.”

This latest back-and-forth shows rising tensions in opposition political circles as the 2027 elections approach. Disagreements over party leadership and candidate selection are becoming more public. While Lawal questions the ADC primary's integrity, Atiku's camp insists his claims are unproven and politically driven.